Alex and Zach’s Florida Gulf Coast wedding at Watercolor was a ‘perfectly Southern’ affair. The venue’s coastal community local set the tone and the couple embraced the scenic backdrop with an outdoor ceremony and tented reception. Details and a color palette of dusty blue, slate and white complimented the natural foliage of the surrounding and subtle tropical accents in the and florals by Myrtie Blue and stationery by Prim + Pretty Prints tied it all together. Our friends, The Happy Bloom, were on hand to capture all the beauty in these gorgeous photographs.
How was your wedding perfectly “Southern”?
I think it starts with the location. Watercolor is a coastal community on Hwy 30A in Florida. Many of our guests stayed in beach houses and were able to ride bikes or golf carts to local seafood joints, to the beach, and to many of our events. That was so fun for us because all of our friends and family were centralized in one area and you never knew who you would see out on a morning run or getting a muffin from Modica Market.
Our rehearsal dinner was at the Perfect Pig, which is a BBQ restaurant on 30A that my family has enjoyed going to for many years now. We had a grouper and a pork & gouda grits dish for all of the rehearsal dinner guests to choose for their entree. After the rehearsal, we went to the beach for a bonfire “post-toast” that all of our wedding guests were invited to. We were apprehensive at first about the bonfire plan but were very pleased with how fun it turned out to be. We roasted s’mores and had drinks on the beach with all of our friends and family under the stars with some acoustic guitar and singing. On the day of, the weather was gorgeous as both wedding parties got ready in their beach houses before pictures. The boys were in white dinner jackets while the girls wore a blue slate dresses. White dinner jackets was one of the first decisions we settled on after getting engaged because I loved how they looked in pictures I had seen. Our arrangements featured lots of palmettos, garden roses, and ranunculus. Myrtie Blue did a great job with emphasizing that coastal feel we were going for. After the ceremony, we had delicious food from Fish Out of Water and danced the night away to Musical Fantasy, a great band from Mobile, AL.
What was your vision for your wedding day? What made you choose certain colors or decor?
Our ceremony and reception were both outdoors, so we chose decor and colors that complimented the natural foliage of Watercolor. Our flowers were all white with small tropical greenery accents and the bridesmaids’ dresses were a slate blue both of which played well with the background.
What is the moment you remember most about your wedding day?
I know the first look is special for so many people, and I would agree that it was the same for me. Finally seeing Zach on our wedding day after building up with all the events of the week was the best part!
What’s next for you and your husband?
We have moved into our house in Memphis, TN. We have been settling in, decorating, and focusing our weekend time on getting our backyard ready to be enjoyed on many a summer night. And we are hoping to get our first crop of tomatoes in a few weeks!
Photography: The Happy Bloom // Planning: Lisa Childers // Florist: Myrtie Blue // Invitations: Prim + Pretty Prints // Venue: Watercolor // Hair + Makeup: Halo Salon // Bride’s Dress: Anne Barge // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids // Shoes: Sam Edelman // Videographer: 22 Magnolias // Ceremony Music: WMP Quartet // Cake: Confections on the Coast // Suits: Jos A Bank // Bridal Shop: Maggie Louise Bridal // Reception Music: Musical Fantasy // Catering: Fish Out of Water // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box